A Kure for the Common Smoothie

The Extra Mile, a perennial customer favorite, tastes like dessert but is packed with protein, vitamins, and minerals.

In Portland, Jamba Juice kiosks and Smoothie King drive-thrus have little hope. Green smoothies rule—packed with enough local fruits, vegetables, honey, and even algae to satisfy our mountain-scaling physiques and above-average IQs. In 2011, Nate Higgins and Nick Armour opened Kure Juice Bar, a ramshackle operation inside a tin shed on SE Hawthorne Boulevard. Now a mini-empire of four locations (including a stall at the Moda Center), Kure draws lines out the door, plus countless devotees who subscribe to its monthly juice-cleanse kits. One delicious invention: the Extra Mile, a sweet, creamy concoction loaded with good coconut fat and kale superpowers. “It’s all dressed up to taste like dessert,” says Higgins. “But it’s one of the healthiest things you can put in your body.”

Blend all ingredients with 1 cup of ice. Garnish with cinnamon or bee pollen.

*How to Open a Young Coconut 1. With a large, sharp knife or cleaver, turn the coconut on its side and shave away the white husk from the pointed, conical end until the shell underneath is visible. 2. Using the corner of the knife near the handle, hack into the exposed shell, and wedge the knife to crack the top off. 3. Carefully pour out the coconut water, and, using a spoon, scoop out the coconut meat.

Higgins recommends cracking open a whole young coconut for the water and meat, but you can also use pre-scooped frozen coconut meat. Both are available at New Seasons.

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